Some legends rank around this last big budget nazi movie. Well, the battle scenes with more than 180.000 extras, the flood-sequence and the destruction of Kolberg are filmed with some enthusiasm. But as an instrument of propaganda it's not convincing anymore. It seems even director Veit Harlan didn't believe the plot he was ordered to tell (and which is historically wrong). There's a lot of shrill and loud shouting and the typical glorification of Prussian militarism that seems so ridiculous and pervert when you consider what has happened at the same time in real life when the movie was released (30 January 1945). An evil but nevertheless perfectly done picture which was fortunately released too late for maintaining the resistance of German citizens against Allied forces.
Review of Burning Hearts
